Can you even take time off?

Feb 12, 2026

Hey coach,

Have you ever taken a day off… actually relaxed for once…

…and then come back to work feeling like an avalanche hit your inbox?

Emails that start with “Just following up.”
People needing you to get them things.
Recruits waiting for a response from you?

It’s stressful.

And most coaches walk away from that experience with the same conclusion:

“I guess I just can’t really take time off.”

Pause.

That’s not the lesson.

What you’re actually seeing is something far more useful, if you choose to look at it that way.

You’re seeing your systems break down without you.

And as frustrating as that feels, it’s incredibly valuable information.

Because when you step away and everything stalls, backs up, or breaks…
you’ve just been shown exactly where you’re the bottleneck.

Maybe answers only live in your head.
Maybe decisions require your sign-off every time.
Maybe there’s no default for what happens when you’re unavailable.
Maybe recruiting pauses because no one on your staff (if you have them) knows the next step.

That’s not a character flaw.

It’s a systems gap.

High-performing coaches don’t judge that moment.

The don't try to fix it by working more hours or putting in more effort (that is a direct path to burnout).

They use it as a diagnostic.

Instead of saying,
“I can’t take time off.”

They ask,
“What broke — and how do I fix it so it doesn't keep happening?”

How do you handle it when you are in this situation?

Here’s your action this week:

Grab a notepad and write down:

What did people need from me while I was gone?
Where did work stall?
What questions came up repeatedly?
What decisions couldn’t be made without me?

That list is gold.

Those are the exact places where installing clarity, checklists, or simple standards will buy you freedom later.

Leverage, in this case, is simple:

Solve it once so you don’t pay for it every time you step away.

If you want to talk through your biggest challenge with me to come up with a game plan, book a call with me here: https://calendly.com/busy-coach

Winning the day isn’t just about having a good Monday.

It’s about building a week that doesn’t collapse when you’re not in the room.

Win the day, day by day. Small and simple systems will simplify your life as a coach and compound into big wins if you stick with it long enough.

Win the day coach!
— Mandy Green

P.S. The coaches who can step away without chaos aren’t less committed. They’ve just designed their programs to run without constant supervision. I’m building something to help coaches do exactly that. Coming soon.